Repeatedly dissappearing mailers sent to A & I

[mark_wilhelm]

I just got off the phone with the A&I processing lab in CA. I was

told that they "never received" yet another (Kodachrome and E6 slide)

mailer that I sent in on 2-8-03. This has been the third mailer that

was "never received" over the past year. I have never had a roll not

return to me that was sent to Fuji in Phoenix or to Fairlawn. All

mailers are sent from the central post office. It seems bizarre that

the USPS only "loses" mailers sent to A&I and never to other

sources. Has anyone else had trouble with disappearing mailers sent

to A&I?

[ray .]

I don't know, I've been having problems with Kodak processing through my local drug store. I was about to try A&I, now I guess I won't.

[bob soltis]

No such experience, but may I suggest photographing a piece of paper

with your name, mailing address and phone # on each roll of film?

 

Also a label on the film canister with same info.

 

hope your film eventually turns up

[george_b1]

Mark - On the off chance you bought your mailers from B&H, advise them of your problem. For really critical rolls, get a FedEx account and send your film to A&I via FedEx - - then they can't claim non-delivery, as you can track the delivery via the Web and have a record of who signed for your shipment and when.

[todd_phillips1]

The USPS has lost or misdirected tons of stuff. My suggestion would be (and this is not for a roll or two) to put 10 or more rolls into mailers and then package all the mailers (sans postage) together and send them by cheap FedEx, Airbourne, or if your not in a hurry...Fed Ex ground or UPS.That way your film should get there and the postage you would normally pay will help offset the shipping cost.

[rich_weiss]

I ONCE had a roll of print film disappear at a local "pro lab". Now I write my name on the canister, as well as my name on each film leader as soon as I purchase the film. If I were shipping I might include my phone # as well.

[cing_dao_kan1]

I have been using A&I and Fuji and never had any problems. The turn around time of A&I is shorter than that of Fuji.

[Robin Smith]

Mark

 

I have had the same problem and on one occasion I gave up hope, but the film came back eventually. In my case I think it is the US Mail service.

[steven_hupp3]

They lost one of mine (received, never sent back). I started using Priority Mail and have never had a problem after that.

[ed_balko3]

I had a run of empty mailer envelopes turning up at my processor in DC (mailed from NJ). I concluded that one of the mail sorting machines between here and there was incompatible with the mailing envelopes and tearing them open. I had been putting a mailing label on each of my cassettes and some of them eventually did find their way, one at a time, to the processor, arriving several weeks after the empty envelope.

 

I never really attempty to solve the problem and have been using a local processor since.